EU, others pledge over $6bn to Syria in post al-Assad donor drive

Western and regional powers participated in Monday’s one-day meeting in Brussels, chaired by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

Fourteen years of war killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians, displaced millions more, and decimated the economy.

Among all donors, the EU reported that 5.8 billion euros ($6.3bn) was pledged in aid for Syria.

“Together we have pledged a total of 5.8 billion euros in grants and loans,” said EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica, adding that grants accounted for 4.2 billion euros ($4.6bn) and loans 1.6 billion ($1.75bn).

During the meeting, the EU itself vowed to provide about 2.5 billion euros ($2.7bn) in aid to Syria.

“Syrians need greater support, whether they are still abroad, or they decide to go home. And this is why today, the European Union is increasing its pledge for Syrians in the country and in the region to almost 2.5 billion euros for 2025 and 2026,” stated European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced that Berlin would provide an additional 300 million euros ($328m) for the United Nations and other organisations assisting Syrians.

“There can only be a peaceful future for Syria if there is an inclusive political process,” Baerbock said.

The United Kingdom pledged up to 160 million British pounds ($208m) in humanitarian aid to support Syria’s recovery.

The foreign office announced the funds would “help provide Syrians with critical water, food, healthcare, and education in 2025″.

Last year’s donor drive raised 7.5 billion euros ($8.2bn) in grants and loans to help the people of Syria, but efforts to top that number fell short after the United States rolled back its foreign aid budget.

Meanwhile, for the first time, Syria, represented by interim Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, attended the meeting, the ninth of its kind.

Syria’s new leadership is attempting to consolidate control over territory that had been devastated and divided for more than a decade.

Last week, gunmen from the Alawite minority sect, loyal to al-Assad, launched an ambush on a Syrian security patrol that sparked the worst bloodshed since the former leader was overthrown in early December.

According to a war monitor, nearly 1,500 civilians, most of them members of the Alawite minority, were killed during the clashes.